Die. Respawn. Repeat.

Chapter 56: Need for Speed

more, the Void Inspiration whispers. more?

"Not yet," I tell it quietly, like it's a pet. I wonder if there's a reason I've only heard its voice within this time-stopped space meant for choosing an Inspiration. I would have expected to hear it speak before now, but then again, maybe it's just getting used to... existing.

okay, it says, and it recedes back within me, surprisingly obedient. Gheraa stares at me, eyes slightly widened, though he doesn't say a word. I wonder if he can tell what happened.

Inspect tells me that this Inspiration is the Accelerator. The name itself is self-explanatory, although I find myself wondering about the Void and its reaction to it.

brother, the Void speaks, almost as though responding. sister.

Interesting. A... sibling power?

"The Accelerator," Gheraa introduces unnecessarily. "It veers on the side of dangerous, but it can speed up any expression of Firmament. With it, you can turn a shield into a weapon, or change a short-ranged skill into a long-ranged one."

I can't think of many skills it could apply to at the moment, as far as range goes. Maybe if I had taken Fireball. But that still makes it useful, and the Void's reaction to it makes me inclined to pick it.

Gheraa waves a hand again. This time, the Inspiration that appears is a vibrating oscillation in the air. "The Accumulator," he says.

I know. Inspect speaks to me, telling me what it does; as I move, it echoes my speed, using it to fuel its own store of Firmament that I can then use to fuel other skills. It's a perfect skill for a speedster.

"It accumulates Firmament based on your speed," Gheraa tells me.

I wonder why he doesn't know that I know. He should have full access to my status, full awareness of everything I can do. There's a chance he's just distracted, I suppose there's clearly plenty on his mind but maybe there's something else going on.

"Useful," I say, and Gheraa inclines his head in a slight nod. He's definitely distracted.

Another wave of his hand spawns an erratic, flickering tree, its branches jumping from one position to another in a dizzying, moving display. I look away before it gives me a headache. "What is that, a quantum tree?" I ask.

"It is exactly called the Quantum Tree," Gheraa says. He sounds amused. "It allows you to change the path of one of your skills, as if you had used it differently."

Inspect confirms his words, so I at least know he's telling the truth. It's essentially minor temporal manipulation change how I used a skill a short time in the past.

"Is that all the Inspirations?" I ask, and Gheraa nods at me.

Now comes the time to make a decision. Again.

The Accelerator, the Accumulator, and the Quantum Tree. It sounds like the start of a joke something about walking into a bar. Of the three, the Accelerator feels like the most directly useful, not in the least because it's apparently the Void Inspiration's... sibling.

Whatever that means.

But the others aren't useless. The Accumulator affects Firmament, which presumably means it's something that will last across loops it could potentially combine with Concentrated Power for a very powerful blow, should I ever find myself in need. And the Quantum Tree is the most directly powerful, because what's more powerful than time manipulation?

"Any thoughts?" I ask absently. Gheraa startles, as though he hadn't been expecting the question.

"Oh my," he says. "Interested in my opinion now, are you?"

His voice is teasing, but I'm not in the mood for a joke. "I've decided to trust you," I say. And it's true, I realize as I say the words. It's not that I won't be prepared for any eventuality, but if I'm going to do this, I need to commit to my plan.

Gheraa hears my words, and he barely manages to hide a flinch. There's a subtle widening of his eyes, a small breath let out between his... well, they're not lips, but whatever passes for his mouth.

Being trusted means something to him, evidently.

"Well," he says, gathering himself. "If you want my opinion, you should get the Accelerator. The Accumulator does something you can already do with Concentrated Power, and if you manage to evolve Firmament Manipulation or even just train it for a while, you can pretty much replicate its effects. The Quantum Tree is powerful, but it's incredibly difficult to control. I've seen Trialgoers die using it."

Ouch. Once he tells me this, information spools out to me through Inspect the Quantum Tree forces you to look at all possible branches at once and make a split-second decision. Make the wrong choice, and you might end up casting your Fireball at your feet instead of actually at your opponent.

Or inverting it into yourself. Apparently that's happened at least once.

That caveat along with the fact that the Accelerator is apparently related to the Void Inspiration makes my decision for me. The Void swirls within me, reacting with excitement as I reach for the Accelerator.

brother, it says. sister. joining us? we hunger together?

"Not quite how I would put it," I say dryly.

"Who are you talking to?" Gheraa looks at me, confused.

I chuckle. "Don't worry about it," I say. I hesitate a moment before I grab the Inspiration, giving Gheraa a considering look. "...Is there anything else we should talk about before I go? We may not get many more opportunities like this."

Gheraa hesitates. There's something he seems to want to talk about but eventually, he shakes his head. "I have to prepare," he says, the words a half-whisper, as if he can't believe he's saying it himself. "Next time. I'll be prepared... next time."

I nod at him. "Next time," I echo.

I grab the Accelerator. Lighting and void flickers into my body, and the world resumes around me

"Ethan!"

Tarin's hovering over me, and I'm confused for a moment. Why is he above me? Why am I looking up into the sky?

Why does Tarin look so worried?

"Ethan! You awake," Tarin says. He sounds distinctly relieved. Was I unconscious? "I thought you dead."

"What happened?" I ask. I notice Ahkelios isn't anywhere nearby his Firmament bond is pulsing within me, like he's eager to be summoned, and I spare a moment's concentration to pull him out. Ahkelios spawns on my chest, frantic.

"Ethan! You're okay," he says, relieved.

"Will someone tell me what happened?" I ask, but even as I do, I can already sense it. The Void and the Accelerator are mingling within me, somehow. They're not merging, exactly, but they're communicating, dancing around one another, and every time they get too close, they draw a massive amount of my Firmament into themselves.

Guys, I say. Stop.

They stop. Instantly.

...Weird.

"You collapse," Tarin says. "I see lightning around you. Then you fall down. Almost hit your head! You lucky I here."

I manage a chuckle at that. "Thank you, Tarin."

Internally, I'm more concerned about whatever's going on with the two Inspirations. I haven't tested out the Void yet, and I'd been planning to after spending my credits; now there's apparently been a significant change of... some sort. It's hard to quantify. Inspect doesn't tell me that there's been any change, but Inspect only tells me things that the Interface itself is already aware of.

I'm going to test you out, I tell the Void, because it seems intelligent in some sense. It's only polite. I feel the Inspiration leap around within me in almost childlike excitement.

hungry, it says. food?

I remember the promise I made when I first acquired it.

Food, I say. But remember what I said.

"Tarin," I say out loud. "Let's spar."

Tarin shoots me a look full of skepticism. "You hit in the head?" he asks. "You just fall over. Not good time for spar."

I grin at him, and trigger Crystallized Strength, then stack it Concentrated Power; I feel the telltale crystalline power surge into my arm, and then a distinct series of cracks as more and more Firmament begins to build within it.

Tarin seems to recognize what I'm doing, to some degree. Maybe he doesn't know the exact mechanism, but he does know that what I'm doing is dangerous, and that he needs to stop me. I feel a surge of Firmament from him, watch as he vanishes from sight

he's moving with incredible speed, directly towards me

and the problem with that, of course, is that it's predictable.

I don't hit him directly with the punch. I don't know how strong that combination is, or how much of an effect a few seconds of Concentrated Power has. The Void is straining within me, flooding into my arm and Inspiring it, and it stacks with Concentrated Power by sucking in all the Firmament in an area around my arm.

Tarin stumbles. I can almost feel the moment his Firmament is drawn out of him, forcibly dragged out by the void and locked further in my arm, built upon everything else. I spin around so I don't hurt him with the subsequent blow

Crack-BOOM.

There's a sound and a flash of light that I think means I broke the sound barrier with my punch. I stumble back a little, shaking off the ringing in my ears Tough Body keeps me protected, but I hadn't been prepared for it. Tarin is staring at me with his jaw wide open.

"Whoa," Ahkelios says, apparently less starstruck but nevertheless impressed. "It's like that thing my cousin can do."

I blink and glance at him, and he grins back at me; I laugh. Trust him to bring me back to down to earth in a second. Metaphorically, anyway.

"Strong skill," Tarin says, peering at the scattered leaves and forest detritus left behind by the force of the punch. "Hard to use?"

"A little," I admit. My hand's a little shaky, and my Firmament is more drained than it normally would be from a single punch. Noteworthy, though, is the fact that I'm still standing. I think I could keep fighting at this pace for a solid few minutes.

Not so long ago, just one punch like that would have taken everything I had, and left me with a searing headache besides. I'd be left barely able to fight afterwards.

hungry, the Void whispers within me. The Accelerator swirls, radiating discontent; it didn't have an opportunity to help, and I think it feels... jealous? Of its brother.

I sigh. I didn't sign up to babysit my Inspirations. You'll get more food later, I promise. There'll be plenty of opportunity if I have to fight anyone like Naru again.

For now, I have more experimentation to do. There's an ache in my eye, like the All-Seeing Eye wants to be used; there are a number of skills I can combine, and now's probably the best time to do it.

So I activate the Eye, and let my skills surge through my body, looking for compatibilities.